Nissan And BMW Recall Cars Over Bosch Fuel Pump

BMW of North America, LLC and Nissan North America, Inc. are recalling more than 94,000 vehicles potentially equipped with defective Robert Bosch GmbH-manufactured fuel pumps that can cause the cars to unexpectedly stall. Nissan is recalling 76,242 model year 2014 Rogue vehicles, while BMW is recalling 18,054 model year 2014 2 and 3 series, as well as model year 2014 and 2015 4 series vehicles. The cars feature fuel pumps made by Bosch that potentially have improper nickel plating, which causes the pumps to fail, the agency said Thursday in letters acknowledging the recalls. Pumps equipped with improper plating can cause the vehicles to stall without warning and increases the risk of traffic accidents, according to NHTSA. BMW said in its filing:

Contamination due to improper nickel plating of certain sub-components within the fuel pump may cause excessive friction, potentially resulting in an inoperative fuel pump. If the fuel pump becomes inoperative due to this condition, the vehicle operator may experience a no-start condition or in rare cases a stalling condition without the ability to restart the vehicle.

BMW first notified NHTSA of the issue and its voluntary recall on March 26, saying that it noticed an increase in fuel pump warranty claims in July. The automaker began monitoring worldwide warranty data and analyzed returned field parts, according to the documents. Bosch conducted investigations of additional field parts between October and December, the automaker said, and found that a possible nickel plating issue may have led to the elevated warranty rates. Between January and March, Bosch examined its production records and quality control information, identifying the production dates and affected parts. BMW decided to conduct a voluntary recall on March 19, even though it hasn’t received any reports of accidents or injuries stemming from the issue, according to the filings.

Nissan notified NHTSA on March 30, saying in its filing that it first identified an incident involving a no-start condition in one of its Rogue vehicles last March. Nissan’s timeline of discussions with Bosch mirrors BMW’s. The automaker elected to conduct its voluntary recall on March 24. Nissan’s recall covers 2014 Rogue vehicles manufactured from June 2013 to July 2014, while BMW’s covers a number of vehicles produced between 2013 and 2014.